A teenage beekeeper is buzzing after being chosen to represent England in a global competition.
Phoebe Jones, 15, is set to head to Dubai in December for the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers. This will be the first time the competition is being hosted outside of Europe in its thirteen years of running.
Phoebe, who is from Wilton, near Redcar, will compete in a team of three who were chosen by The British Beekeepers Association after a rigorous selection process.
She was interviewed, took a written test, delivered a presentation, and was observed as she worked with her bees.
Phoebe will be judged as part of the England team but will compete individually with others around her age from other countries.
They will then learn how bees survive to produce honey in 50-degree temperatures.
Phoebe's hobby began after her mum, Emily, who’s a scientist, started helping out and caring for the bees at the Wilton Centre’s apiary.
“She’s where she is because of their support,” Emily said.
Even though the Wilton Centre’s apiary is located near one of the Europe’s most concentrated industrial sites, Emily said the bees have everything they want.
"They need water - and they’re next to a lake," she explained.
"They’re surrounded by trees. In the spring they’ve got the dandelions and in the late spring they’ve got the heather.”
She said when selected Phoebe was so excited she could not sleep.
She has always nurtured her daughter’s hobby, but her membership of the Cleveland Beekeepers Association has been invaluable for her she explained.
Phoebe said: “I’ve been stung a few times. It hurts, but it’s not put me off. It’s great seeing the colonies grow."
The colonies have flourished under Phoebe’s beekeeping, and last year, more than a quarter of a million bees produced hundreds of jars of high-quality honey.
She is now selling this honey at the Wilton Centre for £1, which is then being donated to its adopted baby hospice charity, Zoe’s Place.
As well as donations through the sale of honey, two members of the Wilton Centre Management team - Claire Morton and Natalie Taylor - have just presented a cheque of £2,600 to Zoe’s Place after skydiving from 10,000 ft.
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